The Satelite images reveal catastrophic damage. The structures comprising Khamenei’s Tehran residence and surrounding security perimeters have been completely levelled.
1. The OSINT Satellite Revelation
A massive wave of speculation regarding the fate of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been ignited. According to satellite imagery from Airbus Defence and Space obtained by the New York Times, the Tehran residence of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was completely leveled by Israeli Air Force strikes this morning.”
2. Ground Zero: The Supreme Leader’s Compound
The satellite images focus squarely on the Beit-e Rahbari compound, the official residence, administrative offices, and primary meeting complex of Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader. The visual evidence confirms that this specific grid coordinate was designated as a priority “Tier 1” target during the opening salvo of the joint offensive.
3. Total Annihilation Of The Structure
The imagery reveals catastrophic damage. The structures comprising Khamenei’s immediate residence and surrounding security perimeters have been completely leveled. Analysts reviewing the photos indicate the cratering and blast patterns are consistent with the use of deep-penetrating bunker-buster munitions, designed to obliterate reinforced subterranean facilities beneath the surface buildings.
4. Khamenei’s Whereabouts Completely Unknown
Compounding the dramatic visual evidence is the absolute silence from the Iranian leadership. As of this hour, Ayatollah Khamenei has not been seen, nor has any audio or video message been released, at the time of reporting this at 6:00 pm IST. In previous moments of national crisis, the Supreme Leader has typically issued swift statements to project stability and resolve.
5. The “Secure Location” Narrative Tested
Prior to the strikes, intelligence leaks suggested that Khamenei had been hastily evacuated to a secure, undisclosed bunker. However, the sheer scale of the destruction at his primary residence raises immediate questions: Was the evacuation successful, or did US and Israeli intelligence track his movements and target his secondary fallback location with the same devastating precision?
6. An Unprecedented State Media Blackout
Iranian state television networks and semi-official news agencies like Fars and Tasnim are currently enforcing a strict media blackout regarding the Supreme Leader’s status. Programming has largely shifted to broadcasting archival religious footage, patriotic music, and repeated loops of the retaliatory missile launches. There has been no “proof of life” offered to the Iranian public or the international community.
7. The Threat Of A Catastrophic Power Vacuum
If the Supreme Leader has indeed been killed in the decapitation strikes, it would trigger an immediate and chaotic succession crisis within the Islamic Republic. Khamenei holds ultimate constitutional authority over the military, the government, and the judiciary. His sudden death during an active, full-scale war would likely see the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seize absolute, unchecked control of the country, drastically increasing the unpredictability of Iran’s military retaliation.
Israel’s prime minister says there are “growing signs” that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “gone” after US and Israeli strikes, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei is alive “as far as I know.”
There is no independent verification yet from neutral sources about Khamenei’s death. The situation remains unverified and unclear.
WION
